Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Philippines	any new xoom coupon	I must agree, we used to use Xoom for unexpected expenses, Dr visits, medicine, etc, so it was normally $20-30 at a time. Now I am using my PayPal account with a debit card, not too bad even with the new 150PHP ATM fees. I think the new rules make them less 'family friendly' for sure!	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2010-05-05 15:16:00
Philippines	NAIA Terminal 1 waiting lounge	My wife and I also spent the 5 hours between landing at midnight and flying to Cagayan de Oro the next morning. No problems, we just kept everything on a cart close to us all the time. I didn't sleep much, so I was able to keep an eye on everything. (Plus I kept the strap from the top bag wrapped around my arm so I could tell if someone tried to move anything.)	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2010-07-12 11:31:00
Philippines	Marriage in the Philippines	As someone who got married in the Philippines, I think there are several advantages: 1. The visa process is a lot simpler AND cheaper! (if you can call anything dealing with the US government simple) 2. Once your wife arrives in the US, she can start work, school, apply for driver's license within a few weeks instead of having to file AOS. 3. You can throw one heck of a wedding in the Philippines for pennies on the dollar compared to the US! 4. Having the wedding there lets you show you care about her family as well as her. (Lots of brownie points from wife and in-laws!) (joke!) Just remember to get your 'Legal Capacity to Marry' from the US Embassy so you can get your marriage license and to plan for the 10-day waiting period before you can get married.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2010-06-09 14:07:00
Philippines	Why was her answer considered a 'gaffe'?	"The show was without any major gaffes, except for Miss Philippines' answer when asked what her biggest mistake in life was and how she fixed it. "In my 22 years of existence, I can say there is nothing major," Venus Raj said. Before the pageant, Raj was rated among the top contestants in an online poll on the pageant's website. She finished in fifth place." AP Article Gee, 22 years old and never had to solve a world crisis? I didn't watch, so maybe something was lost in the translation.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2010-08-24 00:23:00
Philippines	Good Asian store in Louisville, KY?	A friend of my wife and me has to go to Louisville, KY for ROC interview Tuesday. Since she will be in a larger city (we live in Paducah, in the western end of KY) she wanted to find a good store so she can go shopping and pick up some groceries while she is there. She is nervous about her interview, so she thought some shopping would help her take her mind off the interview. There are no asian stores in Paducah and the closest is an hour's drive away. I was hoping some of our Kentucky pinoy friends could give us some advice!	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2010-09-04 01:44:00
Philippines	I am wondering why the exchange is so bad?	I work in retail (musical instrument sales and instruction) and we definitely have not seen any great recovery in our part of the US. I have noticed whenever gasoline goes up the dollar goes down vs. peso. I think disposable income in the US is at an all-time low, at least compared to the past several decades. OH, I miss the good ole days of 50+ PHP to the dollar! I wish the Philippines economy was going up enough to explain the change in rates, but I just can't believe it.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2010-09-04 11:38:00
Philippines	SAD SAD SAD SPUTUM	Don't worry, I am sure you will be fine! Just remember they will take two months off your visa since you have had to wait for the test results. My wife's visa expired six months from the first exam date.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2010-09-20 14:19:00
Philippines	medical valid for 3months or 6months?	When you receive your visa it will probably expire 6 months from the date of your exam. My wife had to wait on a sputum test, so she only had about 3 months left when she got her visa.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2010-09-29 12:06:00
Philippines	CFO	Are your parents coming to visit or do they have a visa? If they are immigrating to the US they will have to have the seminar. Luckily, it only takes a few hours and you can usually get in without any problems. They have offices in Cebu & Mania	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2010-10-07 17:24:00
Philippines	travel warnings	My wife is from Northern Mindanao (close to Cagayan de Oro City) and I have always felt safe there. It is several hours away from the southern section where most of the problems from the MILF and other groups occur. Again, be safe and keep aware of your surroundings at all times. Honestly I feel safer there then in some areas of many US cities! Plus the fact I have several of her five brothers with me most everywhere we go as a 'posse' LOL!	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2010-11-01 12:23:00
Philippines	sputum result for positive tb bacteria	I think even if the initial results look negative, you will still have to wait the full 2 months to be sure. TB grows very slowly and they will want to be sure it is not present.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2010-10-22 12:21:00
Philippines	three biometrics received	Just go to the first appointment date and take all three letters just to be sure. There should be no problem as the whole process takes about 10 minutes.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2010-12-18 01:39:00
Philippines	Taking a philippine phone to the states	You don't have to have load on your SIM card to receive texts, but you will have to add load every 3 months or so or they will deactivate the SIM card. But 3 or 4 dollars every few months is a small price to pay for easy contact from the family in the Philippines. My wife uses Chika and we buy a monthly international package for texts as well.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-01-30 10:49:00
Philippines	Funeral traditons	Thanks for the condolences and the information. Yes, they kept papa in the house, Kathlene even showed him to me on chat. I remember my grandmother telling me about keeping the body at home back in the day. No problem about the meals, but was just wanting to know more about the traditions.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-01-27 14:32:00
Philippines	Funeral traditons	Just a quick question about funeral traditions in the Philippines, my wife lives in Northern Mindanao and her father just passed away with lung cancer. She was able to get there before he passed and they were able to visit a few days. (I think he was just waiting for her to get home) They had the funeral last Sunday and I had a couple of questions. Of course they had to have a lot of food for everyone coming by to see papa while he was in state. (different from where I am from in rural Kentucky where everyone brings food for the family) Kathlene said they are supposed to have a meal 9 or 10 days after the funeral and again 40 days after. I did not ask her a lot about it because she is still upset about the loss of her papa, so I thought I would ask here about the traditions. Honestly, I think the respect and traditions they have in the Philippines are great and I like the respect they show for the dead.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-01-27 12:15:00
Philippines	International ATM fees through the roof!	Remit, ATM, Xoom, Western Union, MoneyGram. . . I guess it all comes with fees now, except for a money-belt full of pesos!	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-03-13 00:38:00
Philippines	International ATM fees through the roof!	Has anyone else tried a CIRRUS ATM card? I was only charged a dollar for each transaction with mine. How long ago has that been may I ask? The ATM fees just started a few months ago. Before that there was no charge for her family to use the PayPal card I got them.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-03-09 17:25:00
Philippines	International ATM fees through the roof!	Can you get travel money cards in the US? The UK versions you load the money you need (or transfer onto while overseas) onto the card and then the card doesn't charge fees or refunds them and it doesn't charge conversion fees either. You might look into that. That is the most fee-free way I can think of using a card abroad. I think the ATM fee will still apply, since it is charged by the ATM owner, the fees are for any card not issued by the ATM owner. Edited by Dogwood_Poet, 09 March 2011 - 01:38 PM.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-03-09 13:37:00
Philippines	International ATM fees through the roof!	We do use Xoom from time to time to send money to her family, but again the fees makes the ATM a little cheaper. Oh well, we will look into setting up a bank account in the Philippines and try and find a simple, inexpensive way to transfer for future use and for her family as well. I will say this, I have done the math and the exchange rate is pretty close to market rates with the ATM. (Better than Xoom) Edited by Dogwood_Poet, 08 March 2011 - 10:38 PM.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-03-08 22:36:00
Philippines	International ATM fees through the roof!	Has anyone else noticed the banks are going crazy with ATM fees? My wife has been in the Philippines the past couple of months helping her family as her father was diagnosed with lung cancer and helping her mom after he passed away. But she says most ATM's say there is either a 200 or 250 charge for each withdrawal, then our bank adds ANOTHER $2.50 on top of that! She tries to wait until she needs to make a large withdrawal so it doesn't hurt so bad. Any ideas for the best way to transfer money? We have a PayPal account that doesn't charge for withdrawals, but you have to plan in advance to make sure the money is there. It is convenient to just transfer as she needs money. We use a separate account for travel so we can feel safer about using our cards overseas.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-03-08 18:39:00
Philippines	bringing dried fish in america	OK, my wife will be coming home in a couple of weeks, so I did some research and this is from the US CBP website So, it looks like any kind of processed fish is OK. General List of Approved Products Aloe Vera (above ground parts) Bat nut or devil pod (Trapa bicornis) Breads, cakes, cookies, and other bakery goods Candies Cannonball fruit Chinese water chestnut Coffee (roasted beans only) Fish * Flower bulbs Fruits, canned Garlic cloves (peeled) Lily bulbs (Lilium spp.) for planting Maguey leaf Matsutake Mushrooms Nuts (roasted only) Palm hearts (peeled) Sauces, canned or processed Seaweed * Seeds for planting or consumption Shamrocks leaves without roots or soil St. John's Bread Singhara nut (Trapa bispinosa) Tamarind bean pod Truffles Vegetables, canned or processed Water chestnut (Trapa natans) *Check with the consulate or agricultural office in the country of origin to confirm that your item is allowed. A phytosanitary certificate is required for propagative material. Pre-departure inspection is required for passengers traveling from Hawaii to the mainland, Puerto Rico to the mainland, and from the U.S. Virgin Islands to the mainland.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-03-12 13:53:00
Philippines	Korean Airlines	My wife will be returning home next week on Korean Airlines. She was booked round trip on Korean air, but due to the winter storms in the USA back in January, she was re-booked on Delta all the way to Manila. She is a little worried since she has never flown on Korean Air and has to change planes in Seoul, which neither one of us have ever flown through. Any reviews or tips for her flight home? She flies Manila to Seoul, changes planes to fly on to Atlanta, then flies Delta to Nashville where I will be waiting to pick her up. She has been over there the past couple of months as her father battled cancer, then helping her mom with the funeral and getting everything in order after her father's death. Edited by Dogwood_Poet, 21 March 2011 - 01:13 PM.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-03-21 13:11:00
Philippines	My New Job in Philippines - Airport Police	GUNS!	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-03-13 00:44:00
Philippines	any fees to pay at the interview?	The only thing she would have to pay is the delivery fee for the visa, I don't remember how much but not a lot. Have her to take a couple of hundred peso to be safe.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-03-30 13:14:00
Philippines	What exactly is "lambing" and why does it always cost me money??	from your signature, im guessing your wife is visayan? im visayan too Yes, she is from just east of Cagayan de Oro City in Mindanao.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-05-20 14:25:00
Philippines	What exactly is "lambing" and why does it always cost me money??	I guess it's the farm boy in me, but I thought it was time for the ewe's to have babies!	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-05-20 11:06:00
Philippines	Inter-Cultural Marriages and effect on Children	It has been scientifically proven if your parents didn't have children, you won't either.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-05-24 12:55:00
Philippines	Canned Meats Prohibited	Most Asian stores stock many of the popular Philippines brands, I guess importers have some sort of screening process that makes it OK. Just be sure and check the expiration dates, as I have found some out-of-date products on the shelf.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-06-15 11:15:00
Philippines	K1 Visa packet received but partly opened or damaged	There should be a diagonal cut in the corner of the envelope. That is normal, if it is ripped open then you should contact the embassy to see about getting it re-packaged.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-07-19 12:11:00
Philippines	Decent, mid-priced, hotel in Manila?	I have stayed at Prince Plaza II in Makati, it is OK & close to malls and embassy. Most recently I have used Park, Bed & Breakfast, about 15 - 20 minutes from the airport but they will pick you up at the airport included in your rate. Also check asiahotels.com online. Prices from mid $30s to $50+ You can check them both out on the web.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-08-12 17:35:00
Philippines	Balikbayan Box	Forex, Orient Star, LBC. Any of these have a good track record. We have used Forex & Orient Star and are currently filling a box from LBC. For Christmas, I would allow at least two months because of the heavy volume of boxes, plus we had a box held up in US customs two weeks before it even left the US!	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-08-19 17:08:00
Philippines	Steps to do in the PH to get an ITIN	I just sent in a copy of her passport without any certification and it went through OK. I know it is not what the application says, but we tried since my wife would have had to do a lot of traveling as well. All they can do is ask for certified copy. Just a thought.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-04-18 17:54:00
Philippines	Wife is visiting Philippines	There should be an exemption for the travel tax for US permanent residents where she would pay a reduced fee. Just be sure and mention it when she goes to the counter to pay her travel tax. Most international flights still allow two checked bags, you will need to check with her airline to make sure.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-10-05 10:54:00
Philippines	Green card's validity question	Honestly, if there is someone to receive your mail while you are gone, I would go ahead and file AOS before you leave. If your receive your biometrics appt before you return, you can request to change your appointment. That way you would be covered if something happened and you wound up staying past the expiration date of your card, i.e. illness of you or family member, disaster, or other unforeseen circumstances. If you are out of the US after your card expires, you could be in for some problems coming back.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-10-27 12:45:00
Philippines	Needs advice about wiring money to the Philippines	I have a PayPal account & you can order two debit cards, so I ordered one for my mother-in-law & send it to her in the Philippines. She can use it in any ATM to withdraw money, but in the past few months they have added a 250 peso fee for any out-of-country withdrawls. However, she can use it as credit to purchase groceries and other items and there is no fees at all. If you are not in any hurry to transfer, you can do a bank transfer to your PayPal account without any fees, but it takes two or three days for the money to be available.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-11-09 12:05:00
Philippines	Pray for flood victims in Northern Mindanao	Here is an updated story Mass Burials	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-12-19 12:50:00
Philippines	Pray for flood victims in Northern Mindanao	The death toll is rising from flooding overnight in Cagayan de Oro City and Iligan. My wife has not heard from friends in the area and is afraid they are gone. They normally miss most of the strong storms in that area and people were just not prepared. MSN story	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-12-17 11:39:00
Philippines	ITIN	I filed and got my wife her ITIN with no problems, The only thing is, if you are planning on getting a refund, you may not be able to cash the check or even direct deposit until your wife is in the country and you can add her to your accounts. My bank (US Bank) refused the direct deposit and would not cash the paper check even if I sent it for her signature. They said since she is not on the account they cannot accept the check. Your bank may be different, but I was told that was the law. So I got to put the check in my safe for almost six months before we could deposit it. Which was really annoying since it would have paid for her plane ticket here.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2011-01-27 16:49:00
Philippines	CFO's guidance and counseling seminar	Yes, In fact my wife had to attend the seminar prior to getting her new passport in her married name. Once she got her passport, she returned to the office & got her stamp.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2012-02-07 14:52:00
Philippines	Filipino/Asian Market in Louisville, KY	Does anyone know of a good Filipino/Asian market in the Louisville area? We are going there for my wife's naturalization oath ceremony on the 24th & would like to do some shopping while we are there. We live in western Kentucky and there no good markets less than at least a 45 minute drive from home.	Dogwood_Poet	Male	Philippines	2012-02-12 22:19:00